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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215936">OCTOBER</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurakinnie/pseuds/inuyasha'>inuyasha (laurakinnie)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Blue Lock (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, BLUE LOCK EXCHANGE 2020, Fluff and Humor, Kinda, M/M, background bachisagi kinda, idk it’s like canon bllk setting but som ppl r monsters haha, mentions of eating ppl cause MONSTERS, no real plot sry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215936</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurakinnie/pseuds/inuyasha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>for @transgrey’s prompt: anything fall </p><p> </p><p>Tokimitsu looks at Aryuu’s hair as he bows his head to show his part. There’s a vivid red sneaking up from his roots— almost ignorable except for that Aryuu is pulling (gently) on his hair for further exposure. </p><p>“Oh my god,” Tokimitsu realizes. “You’re turning into that fast guy from Isagi’s team.” </p><p>“I— what. No, Tokimitsu. Tokimitsu, I’m a tree. I’m changing colors for the fall.”</p><p>Tokimitsu’s heard a lot of stupid things in his life, mostly from his own mouth, but this is up there pretty far. “That sounds even less possible than my thing.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aryu Jyubei/Tokimitsu Aoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>OCTOBER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>IM RLLY BAD AT ROMANCE N THESE CHARACTERS HAVE NO REAL CHARACTERIZATION BUT. I HOPE I DID OKAY I HOPE U LIKE IT!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rin— his leader, his savior, his <em> god— </em>walks into the dorm room with a towel around his neck from the showers. He looks around, sees three of his four teammates huddled around their shared closet like some kind of summoning circle, then swiftly makes to abandon them. </p><p>“No, please!” Tokimitsu begs, teleporting to his knees by Rin’s feet. “Bro, you <em> have </em> to help us!”</p><p>Rin’s eyes narrow, glaring down at him, and suddenly Tokimitsu isn’t actually Tokimitsu at all. What Tokimitsu <em> is </em> is an entity worse than any trash or pondscum that could find itself in his company as a peer. Luckily, Tokimitsu has been immunized to this look through excessive exposure, and is almost unphased. “It's Aryuu! You need to get him out of the closet!”</p><p>From the closet: “NO! I REFUSE!”</p><p>“Uh—” Rin blinks, actually surprised. This is such a non-negative emotion that to see it on Rin is even more awful than the earlier glare. “I— I don’t want to be involved in this. He can… take his time.”</p><p>“Aw, but <em> Rin!” </em> Bachira launches himself towards their captain, looping his arms around Rin’s neck in a very friendly chokehold. They’ve only had him for maybe a week now, so Tokimitsu is very <em> newly </em>scared of Bachira. He crabwalks backwards towards the closet in fear. “He’s not listening to us! </p><p>Isagi, closest to the closet, adds: “Yeah, and I think he’s crying? I don’t know how to handle someone who’s crying.”</p><p>Again, from the closet: “I AM NOT CRYING. I’M TOO PRETTY TO CRY!”</p><p>Tokimitsu tries to comfort him, saying that “You’re pretty even if you’re crying!” but that only makes Aryuu cry louder. </p><p>Rin rolls his eyes. “Oh, and <em> I </em> should do it because <em> I </em>have a naturally comforting presence?” </p><p>“Yep!” Bachira cheers. </p><p>Rin shrugs him off. Violently. Bachira falls on his ass but doesn’t seem to be too put-off, grabbing Rin’s legs instead so he can’t walk away. <em> “Pleeeeaasseee?”</em></p><p>Rin kicks at Bachira’s face, not managing to hit him but successfully dislodging him. “No—” and before he takes off down the hall to leave them to their misery— “Tokimitsu cries all the time, make <em> him </em> do it. I’m going to go train.”</p><p>Bachira and Isagi’s eyes light up. This is because Rin’s training time is Bachira and Isagi’s <em> Bother Rin Time, </em>and that means they also get to escape without feeling the guilt of ignoring their teammate. Tokimitsu is scared of Aryuu lashing out, but he’s more scared of following Rin in his Training Regimen of Doom. The room empties itself very quickly, and Tokimitsu is alone with the muffled sobs of his only other friend. </p><p>Tokimitsu takes a second to review the breathing exercises his club coaches used to teach him. In for ten seconds, out for ten seconds, in for ten seconds— </p><p>“Tokimitsu… are you gone too?”</p><p> Tokimitsu shakes his head and feels his brain rattle around from the force of it. He’s pretty sure Aryuu heard it, but in case he didn’t: “No, but everyone else is. Uh… are you okay?”</p><p><em> “No,” </em> there are distinct, stylish sniffles. Aryuu opens the closet door a crack, just enough to see his red-rimmed eyes and long hair in messy locks falling down over his face. “Tokimitsu, what I’m about to tell you is in <em> absolute </em> confidence. You can’t tell <em> anyone </em>else.”</p><p>“Not even Rin?”</p><p>“... Maybe Rin.”</p><p>“Good,” Tokimitsu shivers. “I don’t want to keep secrets from him, dude. We OG three have to stick together.”</p><p>Aryuu nods in that graceful way of his that tosses his hair back on his way up. Every movement of his is practiced— his footwork, his shooting form, his sneezes. There’s <em> style </em> in it, the casual elegance of economic movement. “Agreed, now <em> look.”</em></p><p>Tokimitsu looks at Aryuu’s hair as he bows his head to show his part. There’s a vivid red sneaking up from his roots— almost ignorable except for that Aryuu is pulling (gently) on his hair for further exposure. </p><p>“Oh my god,” Tokimitsu realizes. “You’re turning into that fast guy from Isagi’s team.” </p><p>“I— what. No, Tokimitsu. Tokimitsu, I’m a <em> tree </em>. I’m changing colors for the fall.”</p><p>Tokimitsu’s heard a lot of stupid things in his life, mostly from his own mouth, but this is up there pretty far. “That sounds even<em> less </em>possible than my thing.”</p><p>Aryuu huffs— an ugly sound on anyone else, but in doing so he turns up his nose and his hair goes swishing behind him. He pushes the closet door open a little more, just so Tokimitsu can see his crossed arms and get a wider understanding of just how disappointed he is— “Every fall my hair changes color and…” here he mumbles something Tokimitsu can’t make out “... And then comes back for spring. It’s a family thing.”</p><p>“Pfft. You’re saying you’re an <em> alive </em>tree?”</p><p>“All trees are alive,” a third voice says. “Wait, <em> fuck—“</em></p><p>Tokimitsu turns his head towards the door fast enough to hurt. Aryuu whines and slams the sliding-door closet shut. </p><p>Bachira opens the door, revealing both him and Isagi as their heads peak out on either side of the open door. Rin is leaning against the wall opposite to the room, arms crossed, the only one whose body is in full view. “Isagi, I don’t know how you got as close to winning as you did. There’s clearly nothing else in your head but soccer.”</p><p>Isagi’s head dips lower in the doorway, shoulders coming up by his ears in a way that’s visible even though most of his body is out of frame. “I’m <em> sorry, </em> but at least I know trees are <em> alive </em>. And like, that humans can’t be them. I think your standards are skewed.”</p><p>“It’s okay, Isagi. You are a little dumb!”</p><p>Isagi manages to droop even lower somehow. “Thanks, Bachira.”</p><p>Bachira comes skipping in to sit himself down right next to Tokimitsu. Bachira treats personal space like it’s the no violence in soccer rule— a joke. Tokimitsu tries to shuffle away a bit, but then Bachira follows him and sits even <em> closer </em> so he just succumbs to the horror. With their mutual proximity to the closet, it’s easy for Bachira to lean forwards and start rapping his knuckles against the sliding door. “Hey. Aryuu hey. Hey Aryuu. <em> Aryuu— </em>“</p><p>“What is it,” Aryuu grumbles. </p><p>“If you’re like, a tree, does that mean that your hair falls out for the winter?” </p><p>Aryuu shrieks instead of answering, which is enough to make Tokimitsu’s jaw drop. “Wait, really?”</p><p>As a symptom of being scared of everything all of the time, Tokimitsu’s imagination is both plentiful and vivid. In detail, the following images appear: Bald Aryuu. Bald Aryuu using scented body wash on his forehead. Bald Aryuu’s shiny glistening scalp. It’s a never ending nightmare, but it’s less because of looks and more because of the discomfort it would cause Aryuu. Tokimistu’s heart does little backflips whenever Aryuu so much as <em> smiles </em> at him— nothing about him could ever be ugly, but Aryuu’s whole sense of self is based on his looks first and his soccer-playing second. It would be hell for him to be seen like that. </p><p>“That’s… Not so bad,” Tokimitsu lies. </p><p>Rin, who’d been looking up at the ceiling in thought, shakes his head. He makes confident strides across the room, ending before the closet like a general before his army. “No, it’s disturbing. How do we stop it?”</p><p>Isagi looks around. Left, right, left, right— “We’re taking this seriously?”</p><p>Tokimitsu nods as solemnly as best he can with chronically wide-open eyes. “Bro, I know you’re new, but Aryuu would <em> never </em>joke about his hair. Most of the problems in our team dynamic comes from his shower routine.”</p><p>Aryuu rose through the ranks of their original block driven by a mixture of talent, skill, and vanity. Instead of food or phones, he used Ego’s point system to buy hair-care products. And skincare. And nailcare. He’s tried to convince Tokimitsu and Rin of the same, but Rin has <em> wildly </em> different priorities and Tokimitsu’s skin just can’t handle Aryuu’s fun scents. Bachira’s his new target, and is actually somewhat receptive! Aryuu hasn’t tried with Isagi, but it’s altogether likely that he was a lost cause before ever entering Blue Lock. </p><p>Isagi hums, seriously considering this. Even if Isagi’s lost when it comes to hygiene, he pays close attention to his teammates. “Really? ‘Cause Chigiri kinda just uses the three-in-one with the rest of us, I figured Aryuu’d be the same.”</p><p>The closet door opens so hard it ricochets. “Chigiri Hyoma uses <em> three-in-one?”</em></p><p>“I think he puts something else in the bottle and just pretends he’s a natural red-head or something,” Bachira offers. “That color needs way too much upkeep to use three-in-one. I’ve had it before and it washed out in a week.”</p><p>Aryuu, already not listening, clenches his fists. “I <em> can’t </em> lose to Chigiri. We need to stop fall from coming.”</p><p>Tokimitsu nods with all the force he can muster. “Of course. We’re gonna need a <em> lot </em> of heaters though. Maybe hair dryers too, those are cheaper.”</p><p>Isagi bites his lip before suggesting: “Is there a cash prize for winning Blue Lock? We can just hurry up and finish this so we can buy them.” </p><p>“I don’t remember,” Bachira admits. “It’s not like it matters anyway. We’re not playing for <em> cash.”</em></p><p>“Damn,” Isagi sighs. “I have nothing then. Maybe we can rob Reo?”</p><p>Rin pinches the bridge of his nose. “We can just ask Ego to keep the place heated. We’re the number one team, he’ll do it if we ask.”</p><p>“Oh. See, this is why we’re Team <em> Rin,” </em>Tokimitsu advises Isagi. “He’s the only one of us who got into high school for reasons other than sports.”</p><p>Isagi puts his thumb to his lip in the most serious expression Tokimitsu’s ever seen him wear. “That’s truly impressive. I stand by and respect the decision made by the team.” </p><p>“I hate you all,” Rin lies. He doesn’t hate Aryuu and Tokimitsu, at least. “I’m going to <em> actually </em> train now, don’t stop me again.” </p><p>The room clears out again, this time Aryuu and Tokimitsu wait out the three sets of footsteps that walk all the way down the hallway and fade out in the distance. </p><p>Aryuu comes fully out of the closet and lands gracefully on Tokimitsu, draped over his shoulders with his head buried in Tokimitsu’s neck. “That was terrible. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from it.”</p><p>Tokimitsu leans his head back so Aryuu has more room, both of them adjusting so Tokimitsu is more-or-less in Aryuu’s lap as he uses Tokimitsu as a human teddy bear. “The tree thing? They shouldn’t’ve eavesdropped, but we all want to help you. Isn’t this better than doing it on our own?”</p><p><em> “No,” </em> Aryuu insists. Maybe Tokimitsu should give scented products another shot because he smells <em> fantastic. </em>“They know my biggest weakness. What if they sabotage me?”</p><p>“No way.” Tokimitsu shakes his head. “Isagi’s kinda dumb but he’s a good dude, he wouldn’t do something like that. Bachira’s a little scary, but he’s more likely to physically injure you. And if they do <em> that, </em> they’ll save it for the field where we can jump <em> them </em>.”</p><p>“But what if they <em> do,” </em> Aryuu whines. “It’s not just my hair, Tokimitsu. My skin rots, my eyes turn red, I look like a living skeleton. It’s <em> disgusting.” </em></p><p>“There’s nothing you turn into that would ever be disgusting,” Tokimitsu says, and like nothing else he says it with confidence. “You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen <em> ever, </em>and you’ll be pretty even if you do turn into a tree monster!” Hold on, that was too heartfelt. Tokimitsu is a manly soccer player, he’s gotta backtrack or the gods of no-homo will come down and smite him. “Um.. dude.”</p><p>Aryuu sighs, dragging Tokimitsu down with him as they both fall gently to the floor. Aryuu’s arms wrap around Tokimitsu’s waist instead. “Do you want to… see it?”</p><p>Tokimitsu twists around so his chest is pressed against Aryuu’s and he can look Aryuu in his averted eyes. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“I mean… it’s not my autumn form, thank god, but I don’t really look <em> human. </em>I just look like this now because it’s easier.”</p><p>“Oh! Bro, that sounds cool but… are you sure you want me to see it?”</p><p>Aryuu nods. “I trust you. Besides, it’s my <em> most </em>stylish form—” here he does a little hair flip— “I’ve always wanted to show it off.”</p><p>Tokimitsu blushes, taking his own turn to look away. “Wait, am I your first? That’s kinda gay.”</p><p>“Tokimitsu, we cuddle every day. You’re <em> on top of me </em>right now.”</p><p>“Yeah, but I always have socks on— like right now! That’s not gay.”</p><p>“You just called me <em>the</em> <em>prettiest person you’ve ever seen.”</em></p><p>“Not in a gay way, though. I just love you.”</p><p>Aryuu blinks. Tokimitsu blinks back.  </p><p>“Wait hold on that’s totally gay—“</p><p>“You’re so dumb. Am I the beauty <em> and </em>the brains of this relationship?”</p><p>Well, he’s not the brawn. Actually, Aryuu’s plenty built, but Tokimitsu’s built as <em> fuck. </em>Weight training is almost impossible to fuck up and conditioning helps his anxiety, so it works out well. “Um. Duh? You’re amazing, so..”</p><p>Aryuu blushes— which, like everything else, is beautiful on him. “You’re supposed to— Ah, nevermind. I like you <em> because </em> you say stuff like that, among other things. You should tell me more until forever.”</p><p>Tokimitsu has the vague thought that <em> hey, Aryuu’s not human, right? Does that mean when he says forever… </em> but he doesn’t have much more brainpower than to admire the fact that he’s cuddling with a <em> boy </em> that he <em> loves </em> and it’s <em> mutual. </em></p><p>“It’s true!” Tokimistu says, trying to recover from… all of that, really. “But I wanna see your tree form first!”</p><p>Aryuu smirks, and then gets up to initiate a twirl that goes much like a sailor moon transformation sequence: roots, curling up from around his ankles—loosely connected, deceptively beautiful shackles; vines, coming from his shoulder blades like they should be wings but instead they branch out in several tendrils to loop around his neck, face, chest, and finally arms where they sprout something like wisteria but in an eerie sort of red; his hair, normally elegant, becomes something ethereal as it grows to just past his knees, ending in willowy strands; the skin of his hands and feet becomes something bark-like— not gnarled and scratchy, but discolored and inhuman; his nails grow and curl in, the coloring a sort of red-black that matches the new color of his eyes. </p><p>“Wow,” Tokimitsu says for a loss of anything else. What else is there but this? But a god come down to earth? But a—</p><p>“Ah, I suppose you’re caught up in the magic,” Aryuu notes. He leans down, reaching out with his left hand to hold Tokimitsu’s cheek— the bark-skin there is still smooth. “The more exposure humans have, the easier it gets to ignore it. It’s a shame, this is a cute look on you.”</p><p>Tokimitsu reacts this way when Aryuu comes out of the shower, too, so he doesn’t see this ever being something he can <em> ignore </em>. Well, Aryuu’s grasp on reality has always been a bit loose— most likely due to his being a tree, but it’s not like he can help it. “Hey, what kind of tree are you? I think I have a new favorite.”</p><p>“Did you have a favorite tree before?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I guess I liked pines well enough…”</p><p>Aryuu’s eyes narrow— his angry expression is as lineless as possible, maybe to avoid wrinkles? But he’s a tree, so… who knows. <em> “Pines. </em>Of course, pines just get everything, huh? Fucking evergreens…”</p><p>“Um. So what are you?”</p><p>“I’m not really a <em> tree </em>tree. Think of me as a false-tree. We’re just supposed to look enticing enough for travelers to come rest under us, before we use their blood to water our— Tokimitsu?”</p><p>Tokimitsu, having grabbed his knees to clutch them tightly to himself, shakes slightly. “S-Scary.”</p><p>“It’s not like I go on killing sprees or anything. I haven’t actually in a while, though if I’m changing colors for the fall I’m due for it… Maybe I should just do that instead? Ego’s not a man that respects style…”</p><p>“Aryuu, you know I love you right?”</p><p>“Yes, Tokimitsu. But you can keep telling me however many times you want.” Aryuu smirks, clearly basking in the affection.</p><p>“Then… how many times to not get eaten?”</p><p>Aryuu looks down at his wide-eyed, shaking (boyfriend?) and sighs. Tokimitsu takes great comfort in this sigh, because it’s a nice and indulgent one and not a <em> well, time to eat this human </em> one. “I’ll never eat <em> you </em>, I promise. But, if you want to give me incentive..?”</p><p>“What is it?” </p><p>Aryuu tilts his chin up, eyes closed and regal. “Give me a kiss.” </p><p>Well. Should have known he’d be demanding, but it’s not exactly a hardship. Tokimitsu channels his nervous energy into action— not unlike how he plays soccer, actually— as he shoots up and slams their lips together in a kind of awkward <em> “Tokimitsu, gentle!” </em> kind of awesome <em> “Wow, dude, you’re good at this!” “Please don’t call me dude while we’re making out.” </em>kiss. </p><p>The door slams open. “Ego said that as long as we keep winning— Oh, what the fuck?!”</p><p>Aryuu tucks Tokimitsu under his chin, pout clear in his voice. <em> “What?”</em></p><p>Isagi, again the interrupter, stares. “Huh, you’re actually a tree. Bachira, is he actually a tree?”</p><p>“Yep!” Bachira choruses at almost the same time as Rin says “You suspect this to be a hallucination and you check with <em> Bachira </em>to confirm your sanity?” </p><p>“Huh, you’re right. Rin, is he actually a tree?” </p><p>“Yes,” Rin says, sitting down on his bed and pulling out his airpods. “I’m going to watch the official matches the U-20 team was in. Don’t interrupt me.”</p><p>Tokimitsu turns around as much as Aryuu’s hold will allow. “Wait, you guys weren’t like. <em> What the fuck- </em>ing about the kiss?”</p><p>“No. You guys have been dating since before I knew you. Aryuu is a tree as of <em> today. </em>You can guess which one I’m used to,” Isagi says, like it’s obvious. </p><p>Tokimitsu and Aryuu exchange glances. There are two options for progression: go through explaining how they were pining idiots since their original block, or just go with the popular assumption. Clearly, for the mental health of the taller half of their relationship, they go with the more stylish option of not admitting anything and carrying on with their lives. </p><p>Aryuu gasps, and it’s only Tokimitsu’s conditioned response to the sound that has him twisting to catch him as he swoons. “You all saw my tree form… it was supposed to be only Tokimitsu… it was supposed to be <em> romantic!”</em></p><p>“No, no, It’s okay!” Tokimitsu assures his (boyfriend!!!!). “You said you wanted to show this form off anyway, right? Your most stylish form?”</p><p>Suddenly Aryuu is back on his feet, the ugly lights Ego had installed hitting him perfectly. “Of course, the stylish me was <em> made </em> to be ogled— wait, why are none of you affected by the magic. You should be in love with me, Tokimitsu should have to fight you off with a stick.” He seems kind of pissed about this actually, damage control time!</p><p>“And I would!” Tokimitsu says, just to be supportive— though he <em> would </em> . He could probably take Isagi, but then Bachira would reveal himself as having been a ninja assassin the whole time and kill him off before he could even <em> get </em>to Rin. Tokimitsu could take Rin too, because he’s kind of helpless at anything not school or sports, but that’d be like beating up his little sibling. His little, scary, stuck up sibling. So no. “But like. You’re not acting weird, why?”</p><p>“Rin barely even looked at you before he started doing his whole thing,” Bachira explains— <em> his whole thing </em>being Rin’s daily escapism exercise where he faces the corner and sits on his phone with his headphones in trying to convince himself he’s not rooming with four (lovable) circus rejects. “As for me and Isagi… who knows!”</p><p>
  <em> The more exposure humans have, the easier it is to ignore it. </em>
</p><p>Bachira, with his very <em> very </em>bright yellow eyes and Isagi with his thigh pressed up against Bachira’s, are suddenly just a little bit scarier. Blue Lock really is full of monsters. </p><p>Tokimitsu makes an oath then, silently, with Aryuu’s arms coming back around him. <em> Blue Lock is full of monsters, and I’m going to beat all of them. </em></p><p>...</p><p>
  <em> Aryuu last though.  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>follow me @NAK4J1MA on twit maybe 😏</p></blockquote></div></div>
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